Most of today's commercially available personal watercraft have a hull and a deck disposed directly thereon. The deck has a pedestal onto which a straddle-type seat is disposed. While operating the watercraft, the driver and passengers sit on the seat and place their feet in footrests formed in recessed portions of the deck.
In an effort to minimize the transfer of these forces to the driver and passengers, some watercraft have a suspension element, such as a spring and damper assembly, disposed between the seat and the deck. Although this reduces the transfers of these forces to the body of the driver and passengers, this arrangement still tends to solicit the legs of the driver and passengers since the seat now moves relative to the footrests formed in the deck.
Another way to minimize the transfer of these forces to the driver and passengers consists in suspending the whole deck above the hull. The engine, fuel tank, and propulsion system are still in and/or connected to the hull. A sub-deck is disposed on the hull to protect the components in the hull from water. The hull and sub-deck together form a hull and sub-deck (HSD) assembly. The deck is suspended on the HSD assembly. In this arrangement, the footrest can still be formed with the deck, and as such the legs of the drivers and passengers are less solicited than in watercraft where only the seat is suspended. In this arrangement, the HSD assembly may have recesses designed to accommodate the footrests that are formed with the deck.
When recessed portions are formed in the HSD assembly for the purpose of providing footrests, these recessed portions are prone to filling up with water during operation of the watercraft. If the water is allowed to remain in the recessed portions, it can decrease rider comfort and affect the handling characteristics of the watercraft.
In addition, as water enters the watercraft it increases the weight of the watercraft, thereby reducing the buoyancy of the watercraft, which in turn lowers the watercraft relative to the water level and makes additional water more likely to enter the watercraft, thereby exacerbating the problem.
One of the ways in which water enters the recessed portions of the watercraft is by splashing up over the front portion of the watercraft while it is in operation. In addition to the drawbacks mentioned above, water entering the recessed portions over the front portion of the watercraft may splash up in front of the rider and cause reduced visibility and additional discomfort.
Therefore, there is a need for a personal watercraft having a deck and a HSD assembly, wherein the amount of water entering the HSD assembly during operation of the watercraft is reduced.
There is also a need for a personal watercraft having a hull and a deck, wherein the amount of water entering the deck during operation of the watercraft is reduced.